By Ali Kadir
June 26, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 26 — Wanted: some individuals with some modicum of intelligence and competence to lead Malaysia.
Muhyiddin Yassin and Shafie Apdal (among Umno’s best and brightest judging by fact that one is the second in line to govern the country and the other is the third in line) need not apply.
The two senior ministers are evidence of how hollow the ranks of leaders in Umno are. Today, Shafie Apdal gave credence to the line that it is best to keep silent and keep up the illusion of competence rather than open your mouth and shatter it.
Now everyone with primary education knows that the Bersih rally is about highligthing election fraud and forcing the government to play fair. This means that the current system is skewed and untrustworthy.
Easy to understand? Not for Shafie Apdal. He says that instead of demonstrating Pakatan Rakyat state governments in Kelantan, Penang, Selangor and Kedah should dissolve the state assemblies and contest the polls.
Now why would they do that when they don’t have trust in the fairness of the election system. It is precisely because of election fraud that the Pakatan Rakyat state governments know that they are fighting with one hand tied behind their backs.
So for Shafie to offer this pearl of wisdom only means that he either chooses not to understand what Bersih is about or he is just plain unintelligent. But he does not have to worry very much about losing out to Muhyiddin. This politician is not the brightest spark in the room either.
He says that the government knows that the Bersih rally is all about politics. Wow, this is really enlightening.
And stuffing the ballot box, phantom voters and widening the base of postal voters is about what, exactly. Is it about keeping Muhyiddin, Shafie, Noh Omar, Hishammuddin Hussein, Khaled Nordin, Kong Chong Ha, Ng Yen Yen, Palanivel, Nazri Aziz employed?
The fact that is shocking is that not only do we have to deal with corruption, abuse of power. But we are asked to suffer fools.
We would not tolerate some of these people as our subordinates. Why are we letting them govern us?
#1 by bruno on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 12:32 pm
It should be Muyiddin Yassin and Shafie Apdal(among umno’s brightest judging by fact from the buttom up,not from the top down).My pick is anytime Dr. Rohaya Mohamad of Obedient Wives Club (OWC).She is one of the fastest rising star of Umno lama.
#2 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 12:32 pm
Conventional political participation is normally via ballot box. Here the ballot box is rigged so Bersih 2.0 becomes Janus 2 faced : (1) lobby for clean election so that conventional means can proceed where contending players are satified with the level playing field or if not (2) force precipitate non conventional forms of participating in politics, like, for example, the signing of petitions, taking part in protests and demonstrations or partaking in civil disobedience ala that happening in swathes of Middle East. The success of (2) in other places depends leverage on information technology (Internet, e-mail, Facebook sms). Also where they happened with some success they are relatively homogenous in population. When push turns to shove, in the Philippines, the army under Ponce Enrile / Ramos swung to side of protesters agt Marcos. There & Iran American patron also swung against incumbent. In Libya US & allies under UN cover go for Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.
#3 by monsterball on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 12:54 pm
If the sex show succeeds to bring Anwar down….I think Tamby Chik will be Najib’s favourite to be his DPM ans Ibrahim Ali as his Min.of Informations.
#4 by beachBum on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 1:05 pm
What an intelligent piece..heheh. Great reading on a Sunday afternoon. Thanks.
#5 by k1980 on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 1:23 pm
All parliamentarians, state assemblymen and the appointed senators plus ministers and deputies should sit for annual MENSA tests and their scores published online so that we can know who is th ebrighest and who the dungus
#6 by Thor on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 1:57 pm
Next in line to govern the country, if BN were to win.
A “cow” to be a PM and a “donkey” to be DPM!
WTF!!!
#7 by negarawan on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 1:59 pm
Whe UMNO is saying it is “working hard”, what it is doing is smear campaign against the opposition and spreading lies about the country’s economy. UMNO does not know how to work hard and intelligently to bring true success and harmony for the country. UMNO is gutter politics! Vote them out in the coming GE!
#8 by limkamput on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 2:11 pm
I can understand where Shafie is coming from. Basically he was saying, if election has not been free and fair, how then PR was able to win Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Selangor and in fact Perak. I think he is saying if election is held again today, PR will win all these states again, thus “confirming” the election is free and fair. Shafie, I want to believe you. If election is held today, I think not just these five states but the whole of Malaysia will be under PR’s rule. If you top with up free and fair election, then PR shall win 2/3 majority. Frightening or not Shafie?
#9 by tak tahan on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 2:58 pm
Mr PM,how about reassign Moo to take care of cow dung and Shafie to look after saihole.
#10 by Joshua on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 4:05 pm
General Election 13 is meaningless n wasteful of public fund and scarce resources if the same EC is allowed to rig the elections as it done previously.
As the declaration of the results is the ultimate thing and when the ballot votes are manipulated by EC, what is the point of going for GE?
How do you think that additional ballot papers are made available for rigging and switching of ballot boxes?
#11 by jus legitimum on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 4:33 pm
These Umno idiots and scumbags had the cheek to say why there was a need to have Bersih 2.0 Rally when Pakatan won five states in the last GE.However they deliberately failed to mention that Pakatan could have won the whole general election had it been conducted fairly and freely.
#12 by Bigjoe on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 5:13 pm
Actually, every single line coming out from either UMNO/BN or their machinery has been lame. Najib’s one is probably the lamest. I had expected more and perhaps that is a cause for concern.
It is as if they have given up trying to use their brains to rebut Bersih. That is really worrying because when they do, all they know how to do is ACT stupid. An stupid is a lot more dangerous if Bersih is not careful.
Its important for Bersih to really plan well, to maintain discipline over what is expected to be >100K people showing up. As a passive resistance movement, the world will not have seen such thing since the daysGhandi fought for India’s independence.
#13 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 5:28 pm
. Why rationalize with them? It is not rationality but it is power that is arbiter. For that one can talk c*ck and bull. The fact is if they start detaining PKR Youth deputy chief Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin or Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jayakumar & 30 other PSM members under a implausible pretext of Communism and waging war against the Yang DiPertuan Agong, what can you do about it?
#14 by johnnyboy on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 5:39 pm
Why is our ruling party BN against a call by the citizens for a fair election? Do they have something to hide?
#15 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 5:48 pm
Boy, Ali kadir, you are on the dot.
Really, I wouldn’t want any of those 2 boys, Shafie or Muhyiddin, to carry my bags let alone my balls.
#16 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 5:54 pm
You’re arguing Bersih based on what is rational and what is not. To the other side it is about power. Ultimately Bersih is about people power (ie the number of protesters in the streets in civil disobedience) versus state power (chemical-laced water and tear gas baton, fire arms). If they start detaining PKR Youth deputy chief Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin or Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jayakumar & 30 other PSM members under a implausible pretext of Communism and waging war against the Yang DiPertuan Agong, in advance crack down on Bersih, the question is what can you do or prepared to do about it?
At the end of the day what is important in any enterprise is not in the initiating but the end result – success or failure- because that’s what ultimately counts. An opposition has to make calculations based on objective appraisal and not desperation whether conditions favourable for successful protests elsewhere are also present here to ensure success. Has this been made? If not I don’t know who is the smart or stupid politician!
#17 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 6:56 pm
Hishammudin should be included in this gallery of the intelligent ministers.
Look, you can’t be more inteeligent than that: arresting BERSIH supporters. Grounds of arrest : Trying to wage war against the Agung. Just 30 of them. Hishammudin, nobody can be more stupid than that.
#18 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 7:20 pm
It is not about rationality but power. And Bersih 2.0 offers the govt the pretext / justification to take down opposition politicians.
#19 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Sunday, 26 June 2011 - 10:00 pm
And what were these BERSIH supporters armed with?
Grenades. No!
Molotov cocktails. No!
Just pamphlets.
See, Hishammuddin. They aren’t even a match for you with your kris. If they should be arrested, how much more so0, you?!
#20 by good coolie on Monday, 27 June 2011 - 3:48 pm
How about a “three in one” Datuk for PM. May be statutory rape would be legalised, and swearing lies in houses of worship popularised.